keratin 8(KRT8) Homo sapiens This gene is a member of the type II keratin family clustered on the long arm of chromosome 12. Type I and type II keratins heteropolymerize to form intermediate-sized filaments in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells. The product of this gene typically dimerizes with keratin 18 to form an intermediate filament in simple single-layered epithelial cells. This protein plays a role in maintaining cellular structural integrity and also functions in signal transduction and cellular differentiation. Mutations in this gene cause cryptogenic cirrhosis. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2012],
Observed in muscle fibers accumulating in the costameres of myoplasm at the sarcolemma membrane in structures that contain dystrophin and spectrin. Expressed in gingival mucosa and hard palate of the oral cavity.